Building a Stateful Web App with Vanilla JavaScript
As developers, we often rely on frameworks like React, Angular, and Vue to build web applications quickly. However, it’s essential to understand the underlying language and its capabilities. In this article, we’ll explore how to build a stateful web app using vanilla JavaScript, covering various aspects such as state management, component building, DOM manipulation, lifecycle hooks, routing, file organization, and debugging.
State Management
State management is a crucial aspect of any web application. While frameworks provide built-in state management solutions, we can achieve similar results using vanilla JavaScript. We can use a simple JavaScript object to store our application’s state, and then use a proxy object to monitor changes to that state.
“`javascript
const state = {
currentTodoItemID: null,
todoItems: []
};
const proxy = new Proxy(state, {
set(target, property, value) {
target[property] = value;
// Trigger re-rendering or other side effects
}
});
“`
Building Components
Components are the building blocks of any web application. In vanilla JavaScript, we can create components by defining functions that return HTML elements. We can then use these components to render our application’s UI.
“`javascript
function TodoItemList() {
const list = document.createElement(‘ul’);
// Render todo items
return list;
}
function TodoItem() {
const item = document.createElement(‘li’);
// Render todo item
return item;
}
“`
DOM Manipulation
When building a web application, we need to manipulate the DOM to update our application’s UI. In vanilla JavaScript, we can use the appendChild method to add new elements to the DOM, and the removeChild method to remove existing elements.
javascript
const list = document.getElementById('todo-list');
const newItem = TodoItem();
list.appendChild(newItem);
Lifecycle Hooks
Lifecycle hooks are essential for managing the lifecycle of our components. In vanilla JavaScript, we can define custom lifecycle hooks using functions that are called at specific points during a component’s lifecycle.
“`javascript
function componentDidMount() {
// Triggered when the component is mounted
}
function componentWillUnmount() {
// Triggered when the component is unmounted
}
“`
Routing
Routing is critical for navigating between different parts of our application. In vanilla JavaScript, we can use the history API to manage client-side routing.
javascript
window.history.pushState({ id: 'new-page' }, '', '/new-page');
File Organization
File organization is vital for maintaining a clean and scalable codebase. In vanilla JavaScript, we can organize our files into logical directories and modules.
bash
src/
components/
TodoItemList.js
TodoItem.js
index.js
utils/
helpers.js
index.js
index.js
Debugging
Debugging is an essential part of any development process. In vanilla JavaScript, we can use the console API to log messages and debug our application.
javascript
console.log('Hello, world!');
By mastering these fundamental concepts, we can build complex web applications using vanilla JavaScript. While frameworks provide convenience and structure, understanding the underlying language is crucial for becoming a proficient web developer.